Few Consumers Use Information on Health Provider Quality or Price

By

Drew Altman

Apr 27, 2015 7:33 am ET

It’s widely assumed that Americans will become increasingly diligent and informed health-care consumers as higher deductibles and other forms of cost sharing push them to be more prudent purchasers and as they become aware of comparative provider quality and price information. That may well happen–but findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s April Health Tracking Poll show that the effort to bring provider quality and cost information to consumers is still in its infancy.

As the chart above shows, very small percentages of Americans say that they saw quality information comparing hospitals (13%) or doctors (10%) over the past 12 months. Of those who saw such data, the shares who said they used it were tiny: 4% for hospitals and 6% for doctors. Only 6% said they saw comparative price information for hospitals or doctors in the past year and only half as many say they used it.